People undertake travel for a wide range of purposes. Travel, which usually involves moving one or more people from one location to another, can be undertaken for financial reasons such as commuting to and from work or school, for personal reasons such as pleasure, relaxation, or discovery, or for exercise, to name only a few. Travel can also result from more sinister events such as war, famine, or displacement. Depending on the purpose of the travel and the modes of transportation available, people choose a mode of transportation based on convenience, availability, or cost. The modes of transportation include ground transportation, water transportation, and air transportation. Ground transportation can be accomplished on foot, by animal, or by vehicle such as a bicycle, an automobile, a van, a bus, or a train. Water transportation can include using a personal vehicle such as a raft, canoe, or kayak, a public vehicle such as a ferry or a ship, among others. Air transportation can be accomplished using an airship or airplane. Whichever mode of transportation is chosen by a person, the mode most often involves a vehicle.
People spend a tremendous amount of time in vehicles. Whether waiting for a vehicle, traveling in the vehicle, attempting to park the vehicle, waiting in security lines to get on a vehicle, among many other travel-related activities, substantial portions of time are committed to vehicular travel. Typical vehicle-related travel events include the daily commute; taking the kids to athletics practices, musical instrument lessons, or debate club; taking the pets to the veterinary clinic; shopping for food or household items; traveling; or any of the other common activities that require transportation, people use a variety of vehicles to meet their transportation needs. Traveling in a vehicle is time consuming at best, and at worst, boring, frustrating, and irritating. Rush hour traffic, accidents, and poorly maintained roads, among other situations, further complicate automotive transportation. The difficulties of transportation are also compounded by operating an unfamiliar vehicle, traveling in an unfamiliar city, and even having to remember to drive on the opposite side of the road in a construction zone or when traveling in some foreign countries. Sadly, these transportation realities can have catastrophic consequences. Irritated operators of vehicles can experience road rage and other antisocial behaviors, and bored, sleepy, impaired, distracted, or otherwise inattentive drivers can cause vehicular accidents and injury to themselves, pedestrians, bicyclists, animals, and property.